The Arkansas Barbecue Traveler's Travels: 3 Heethens BBQ in Monticello.

I saw the smoke rising from a trailer tucked beneath an awning next door to the Arby's in Monticello and - even though I 'd already eaten twice that morning and was ready to hit the road, I pulled into the lot. It wasn't on my list - but 3 Heethens BBQ had that barbecue moniker and that barbecue scent, so I pulled on in.

Following the Smoke: Biscuit Row in Helena-West Helena.

I tend to follow my nose when it comes to barbecue. During the summer of 2024, I spent several weeks in the Arkansas Delta. I was heading to one barbecue restaurant on the 8th of June - a restaurant that wasn't open (I'd find out later the owner was on vacation). But a sniff of the air told me there was barbecue to be found nearby.

Almost Famous BBQ Ties Cajun Spice to Arkansas Barbecue.

By the time you get to Almost Famous BBQ, you're about out of Conway and well on your way to the edges of Vilonia. The scent of hickory and cherry smoke lures drivers into the parking lot along the south side of US Highway 64, smoke often tinged with a little Cajun spice.

Ode to Rice.

It is a staple that graces the tables of young and old, wealthy and thrifty, across every demographic. Its place in our culinary history goes back two centuries, and today it puts us on the global map. It is the world's most popular grain, and we are blessed to have so many cultivated acres of it every year.

Jackson's Vanilla Wafers - Missed But Not Forgotten.

Jackson's Old Fashioned Vanilla Wafers, crispy vanilla-flavored round cookies first produced at a North Little Rock baking facility in 1933, have left store shelves.

Great Memories of Cotham's Mercantile in Scott.

Do you ever miss Cotham's Mercantile in Scott? Known for Hubcap Burgers, home cooking, and its unique location along a slough not far off the Arkansas River, this landmark is now lost to time.